Why a Space Opera
I have been asked why I made my novel The Planet of Darkness a Space Opera. Here is the answer: because a Space Opera is multidimensional. The Planet of Darkness is about a moment on the space timeline that has far-reaching effects. First, the impact of a dystopian world can not be fully understood unless one sees how it affects people from all segments of its society. And, second, the impact of various actors on the workings of politics are better understood when we see how different actors affect each other. My book covers the events taking place in the past, present, and future of several worlds, and to understand them best, the reader needs to experience these events along side many different characters.
As a professor, I have studied history, and one thing modern historians emphasize is the importance of seeing moments in history from the viewpoint of as many people who experienced it as possible. Take, for example, the events of World War 2. How would that war look if you only saw it from US President Franklin Roosevelt’s perspective? How about only Adolf Hitler’s perspective? How about only Joseph Stalin’s perspective? What about only the perspectives of military officer, Japanese soldier, US citizen’s, or holocaust victim? Any one of these perspectives on their own does not explain the situation as well as all of these viewpoints together.
The same can be said of any moment in history. When I studied Abraham Lincoln’s death, I knew it had an impact on many people, but until someone studies what these different people witnessed and experience, one cannot understand the whole picture. Martha Hodes proved this point when she wrote her book on her study of Abraham Lincoln’s death, Mourning Lincoln. She studied diaries, letters, sermons, and letters to gain insight on how Lincoln’s death affected various types of people throughout America.
Impactful events cannot be fully understood unless we see it through a multidimensional lens. That, dear readers, is why my science fiction trilogy is a Space Opera, a wide lens to take in a multidimensional perspective on a galaxy burdened by oppression, racked by turmoil, and desperate for a way to escape.
